A 教育当中的机会平等与学生权利
1 Some people think that it is better to educate boys and girls in separate schools. Others , however , believe that boys and girls benefit more from attending mixed schools. Discuss both these views and give your own opinion.
一些人认为把男孩和女孩分在不同的学校教育更好。而另一些人则认为男孩和女孩可以从男女合校中获得更多益处。讨论两种观点并且给出你自己的看法。
关键词透析
◆ attend 是英式写作里的一个常用动词,指 上学、上课或参加会议 ,常考搭配还有 attend classes / attend lectures / attend meetings 。
◆ mixed schools 是 男女生在一起上学的学校 ,近义短语是 co-educational schools 。而 单一性别的学校 除了概括地写成separate schools之外,为了减少重复感也可以更加具体地写成 single-sex schools 或者 boys' schools/girls' schools 。
剑桥在本题中设置的陷阱
请注意对于题目结尾含有 Discuss both these views and give your own opinion .(业内行话简称为“ D & G型 ”)的考题,按照剑桥官方评分标准的要求必须对 两方 都进行论证,并提出自己的看法,否则将会是被判为 This essay does not address all parts of the question. 的悲壮结果(本题具体写法请看今天的范文24)。
同类型真题
(a) Universities should accept equal numbers of male and female students in every subject. To what extent do you agree or disagree? 大学应该在各科均招收相同数量的男生和女生。你在多大程度上同意或不同意这种观点?
关键词透析
◆ 本题涉及三个关键词: gender 性别 , equality 平等 和 discrimination 歧视 。请注意有不少国内同学喜欢把discrimination的动词形式 discriminate 当作及物动词来使用,这其实是错误的 ,在地道英文里 discriminate 表示 歧视 的意思时只能作 不及物动词 。
【剑桥例句】 Under the law , the state must administer its programs in ways that do not discriminate against anyone on the basis of race , age or gender.
本题具体写法请看今天的第9篇范文。
(b) In many schools , girls tend to choose art subjects while boys tend to choose science subjects. What are the causes of this situation? Do you think it should be changed? 在很多学校里,女孩倾向于学习艺术科目而男孩则倾向于学习科学科目。这种现象的原因是什么?你认为它是否应该被改变?
思路指导
这种现象并不仅限于中国,在英语国家里同样也有很多家长和老师认为女孩儿更擅长学语言(girls are better at language learning),而男孩儿天生就适合学科学(science is the natural domain for boys)。
本题所给现象的产生原因有: 很多家长和教师都持有不同性别擅长不同学科的思维定势(Many parents and teachers hold the stereotype that girls are naturally better at arts while boys tend to be stronger in maths and science.); 学生们在选课时也很容易受到来自于同辈的压力影响( Peer pressure is also likely to influence children's course selection .); 成年人的职业选择也存在着类似的性别差异(Similar gender differences can be found in adults' career choices .)。例如,女性当中选择科学或工程相关事业的比例远远低于男性(The proportion of women who choose science or engineering careers is much lower than that of men.),成年人选择职业的性别差异对孩子们选择学习科目同样也会有影响。
这种情况可能带来的问题有: 导致学校里选择艺术课程和科学课程的学生性别失衡( cause gender imbalance in art classes and science classes); 儿童们可能会难以充分发挥出自己的潜力(cannot achieve their potential )。
因此,家长和教师应该鼓励孩子们更加广泛地尝试不同课程(encourage children to explore a wider range of courses)。
2 Students from rural areas often find it difficult to access university education. Some people think that universities should make higher education more accessible to those students. To what extent do you agree or disagree?
农村地区的学生往往难以获得大学教育的机会。一些人认为大学应该让这些学生更容易受到高等教育。多大程度上你同意或者不同意?
关键词透析
◆ 请注意rural area和countryside之间的细微区别: rural area 在地道英文中有暗示发展滞后的负面含义,而 countryside 在地道英文里则往往是指令人向往、有田园风光的乡村。
写好本题需要突破的瓶颈
与含有Discuss both these views and give your own opinion.的题型必须讨论两方看法的要求 不同 ,剑桥官方评分标准对于以 To what extent do you agree or disagree? 这个问题结尾的考题在考生写作态度上的选择要求更加灵活: 既可以写成完全支持或者完全反对的“一边倒”; 也可以写成主要支持略带反对或者主要反对略带支持的“折中式” ,只要你确实是紧扣题目里给出的看法来展开论证即可(本题具体写法请看今天的第10篇范文)。
3 The amount of money for postgraduate research is limited. Some people think that financial support from the government should only be provided for postgraduate scientific research rather than postgraduate research on less useful subjects. Do you agree or disagree?
研究生的研究经费是有限的。因此,一些人认为政府的财政资助只应提供给由研究生从事的科学研究,而不是提供给研究生从事的用处较小的研究。你是否同意这个观点?
关键词透析
◆ financial 财务的,金融的 , financial support 是 资助 ,类似的表达还有 financial aid 和 grant ( 在这里作名词 )。
◆ rather than 是雅思作文中极为关键的一个连接词组(可惜却常被考生忽视甚至无视),它经常用来在一句话里表示 是 前面一种情况,而 非 后面一种情况的 取舍关系 。
【剑桥例句】 The company has decided to take the risk (风险) rather than give up the project (项目)。
◆ 从事 (某项研究)在地道英文里的写法有 conduct,perform,carry out 和 go about (最后的这个表达偏口语化)等。
写好本题需要突破的瓶颈
对于含有Do you agree or disagree?的考题,有些同学误认为用这个问题结尾的考题只能绝对地写一边倒,而不能两边都讨论。可惜这种说法本身就太绝对了。事实上,在剑桥官方评分标准里,对于以 Do you agree or disagree? 这种提问形式结尾的考题同样是允许考生根据实际情况自行选择写一边倒或者写折中式的,这是多篇剑桥官方Do you agree or disagree?型考题范文明确体现出的标准,而且也是IELTS考试的主办机构之一IDP在墨尔本为当地考生答疑时给出的明确答复。
思路指导
本题的“题眼”是 only 。请您牢记这个审题规律:一旦题目里出现了 only,all,never,always,形容词最高级,stop altogether/ban(完全禁止) 这些 语气过于绝对 的词,就将很难从逻辑上严格地证明题目里的观点完全正确,但通过举反例来证明题目里的观点存在逻辑漏洞则会好写很多。
这道题的本质是问研究生是不是 只有 搞科研才应该得到政府的资助,而从事其它研究都不该拿资助。很明显,这种说法过于绝对了。难道关于传统文化,比如京剧(Beijing Opera,对应的在英国则有莎士比亚戏剧Shakespeare's plays/Shakespearean drama),或者原住民文化(indigenous culture)的学术研究就不值得政府去资助么?此外,还有文学研究(literary research)、历史研究(historical research)、视觉艺术的研究项目(visual arts research projects)等也都急需政府的funding,无论如何也不应该 只对 科学研究进行资助。说到底,就是题目里的 only (只有)这个绝对词惹的祸……
本题具体写法请看今天的第13篇范文。
变形题
Scientists contribute more to the development of our society than other people. Therefore , science student should get more financial support from the government than other students. Do you agree or disagree? 科学家们比其他人对社会发展作出了更多的贡献,因此,理科生应比其他学生获得更多的政府资助。你同意还是不同意?
4 Some parents choose to send their children to private schools. Do the advantages of private schools outweigh the disadvantages?
一些家长选择送他们的孩子去私立学校。你是否认为私立学校的利大于弊?
思路指导
在英美,私立学校的类型其实很多。但从总体来看,多数私校的优势包括: 经费自主,并来自于学费、私人资助以及向家长募集捐款等多种形式(Their funding comes from a wide range of private sources,such as tuition fees,private grants and fundraising from parents.),而公立学校却只能依赖于政府的经费(rely on government funding); 私校能够为教师提供更高的薪水和更好的工作环境(can offer higher salaries and a better working environment),所以教师们更有努力工作的动力(are more motivated to work hard); 私立学校的班级规模更小(the class sizes at private schools are smaller),教师可以为每一个学生投入更多的时间(teachers can spend more time on each student); 私立学校还可以调整自己的课程来适应学生们的需求(can adjust their curriculum to suit students' needs),而公立学校的课程则是由政府统一决定的(public schools follow a standard curriculum set by the government)。
但在英美,私立学校的弊端则是: 学费高(high tuition costs),而且 进入私校的入学竞争更加激烈(Admissions to private schools are more competitive.)。
因此,学生是否上私校的决定应该取决于家庭收入水平以及学生是否能达到或者超过录取要求(The decision should be based on the level of the student's household income and on whether the student can meet the admissions requirements set by the school.)。
5 Some people think that in order to improve the quality of education , high-school students should be encouraged to evaluate their teachers. Others , however , think that will result in loss of respect and discipline in the classroom. Discuss both these views and give your own opinion.
有些人认为为了改善教育质量,应鼓励中学生对老师进行评估。但是其他人认为这会破坏对老师的尊重和课堂纪律。请讨论这两种观点并给出你的意见。
关键词透析
◆ evaluate 是动词: 评价 ,它的近义词为 assess 。
◆ 名词 反馈 是 feedback ,国内同学要特别注意它是 不可数名词 ,后面不能加-s。
◆ discipline 是名词: 纪律 ,教育类考题中还常会用到加分词 self-discipline 自我约束,自 制力 。
思路指导
允许学生们评价老师的好处在于: 给教师改进授课的动力(motivate teachers to improve their instruction); 是识别表现不佳的教师的有效方法(is an effective way to identify low-performing teachers); 可以让学生们感到教师确实关心自己的需求(make students feel that their teachers really care about them as individuals with different needs)。
负面的影响则是: 一些学生可能会给出不负责任的评价(irresponsible evaluations); 甚至可能导致教师与一些学生的关系紧张(may cause tension between the teacher and some students)等。
从整体来看,学生反馈可以提高教学的效果(improve teaching effectiveness),但学生们应该被鼓励进行负责任的评价(evaluate their teachers' performance responsibly)。
6 University students should pay all the costs of their studies because university education benefits individuals more than it benefits society as a whole. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this opinion?
大学生应该承担全部学习费用,因为大学教育对于个人比对全社会更加有益。多大程度上你同意或不同意这种观点?
关键词透析
◆ 写这道题时有些同学可能会不断重复地使用 university education ,其实相近的意思还可以用 higher education 来替换。
思路指导
本题的关键在于必须要结合because后面的原因来进行讨论,否则至少会部分跑题。而且本题里还含有all这个语气很绝对的词,真是“剪不断,理还乱”。但其实想写清楚也不难,踏踏实实写就好了。
可以先承认大学生应该负担一部分学费,理由是: 有大学学位可以增加个人的就业机会和薪酬潜力(Having a university degree increases an individual's job opportunities and earning potential.); 高等教育为学生提供广泛的课程与研究机会,还可以提高学生的专业技能与知识储备(University education provides students with a wide range of subject areas and research opportunities,which can help them to improve their skill sets and strengthen their knowledge base.); 大学还能够为学生们提供建立人际网络的机会(Universities also provide students with important networking opportunities.)。
然后指出大学教育对社会的发展同样很重要,原因是: 高等教育可以显著促进经济的生产率和竞争力的提高(Higher education contributes significantly to the productivity and competitiveness of the economy.); 大学可以培养出受到良好教育并且善于独立思考的公民(Universities can produce well-educated and independently-thinking citizens.)。
因此,大学生和政府都应该承担一部分高等教育的费用。政府应该为表现优异的大学生提供奖学金(provide merit-based scholarships for students who excel in their studies and social activities),而且为没有能力支付教育费用的大学生提供助学金和学生贷款等资助(provide financial assistance,such as bursaries and loans,for students who cannot afford the costs of higher education)。
同类型真题
(a) Higher education can be funded in several ways , including the following three ways:
1.All costs are paid by the government.
2.All costs are paid by the student.
3.All costs are paid by the student using loans from the government which must be repaid after graduation.
Discuss the benefits of each choice. Which do you think is the best one? 高等教育可以用多种形式资助,比如政府全额支付、学生完全自费、学生使用毕业后需要偿还的政府贷款进行支付。讨论三种选择各自的优点并且说明你认为哪种选择最好。
(b) Some people think that the government should make university education free for all students , regardless of their financial background. To what extent do you agree or disagree? 一些人认为不论学生的经济背景如何,政府应该让高等教育对于每个学生都是免费的。多大程度上你同意或不同意?
7 Many young people leave school with a negative attitude. Why does this happen? What do you think can help young people to have a positive attitude?
许多年轻人带着消极的态度选择离开学校。这是出于什么原因?你认为应如何鼓励年轻人拥有积极的态度?
关键词透析
◆ attitude 是名词: 态度 ,英式写作里这个词后面经常搭配 towards sth. 或者 to sth. 。
思路指导
学生们离开学校时态度消极的原因包括: 学校教学过于枯燥(Students spend too much time listening to lectures or being tested. They do not have opportunities to learn through interactions with their teachers or through exploration into subjects that they are really interested in.); 学生们的社交和心理需求经常被忽视(Many teachers lack a clear understanding of their students' social and emotional needs.); 校园欺凌也可能导致一些学生带着消极的态度离开学校(Some students have been victims of bullying and do not feel safe at school.)。
相应的,解决办法可以有: 教师应该努力让学习的过程变得有趣,并且鼓励学生们独立地思考(Teachers should try to make learning fun and interesting for their students,and encourage them to think independently.); 学校应该为学生们提供丰富多样的课余活动(Schools should provide a wide range of extra-curricular activities.); 学校应该采取措施来预防校园欺凌(Schools should take measures to prevent bullying,which can help to make students feel safer and more confident at school.)。
B 教育应该培养的能力
8 Some people think that children should be made to obey rules , while others argue that children who are controlled too much will not be well-prepared for their adult life. Discuss both these views and give your own opinion.
一些人认为儿童应该遵守规则,而其他人则认为过多地控制儿童将不利于他们面对成年后的生活。请讨论这两种观点并给出你的意见。
思路指导
儿童应该遵守规则,因为: 在儿童形成社会习惯的时期,行为规则可以帮助儿童懂得什么是适当的行为,比如餐桌礼仪和礼貌的课堂举止(In their socially formative years,children need rules to help them to learn appropriate behaviour,such as table manners and polite behaviour in the classroom.); 安全规则可以保障儿童的安全(Safety rules can protect children from dangers.); 规则还可以让儿童意识到他们需要为自己的行为负责(Rules can make children understand that they are accountable for their own actions.)
但是: 过于严格的环境可能会制约儿童的创造力和自由思维(An overly strict environment may restrict children's creativity and free thinking); 规定有可能减少儿童发展独立性的机会(Rules may reduce the opportunities for children to develop independence.)。
因此,家长与教师应该努力在规定与孩子们的自由之间争取合理的平衡(Teachers and parents should try to provide children with a reasonable balance between rules and freedom.)。一方面教育孩子们对自己的行为负责(teach them to act responsibly),另一方面也允许儿童犯错,而且鼓励他们从自己的错误当中学到教训(allow children to make mistakes and encourage them to learn from their mistakes)。
9 Some teachers think that students should be organised into groups to study. Other teachers argue that students should study alone. What is your opinion?
一些教师认为学生应分组进行学习而其他教师认为学生应独自学习。对此你的观点是什么?
写在本题需要突破的瓶颈
对于以 What is your opinion? / What is your view? 这两种提问形式结尾的考题, 如果题目里有两种观点,则应该对两种观点都进行讨论。但如果题目里只有一种观点,官方评分标准则允许考生在一边倒和折中式之间选择一种适合自己的态度来写。
思路指导
本题的题意不难理解。
分组集体学习的好处包括: 提高学生的沟通能力(Students can improve their communication skills by discussing ideas,sharing thoughts and exchanging opinions with their groupmates.); 可以培养团队精神(can foster team spirit among students),并让学生们学会接受他人的不同看法(increase the students' level of tolerance and acceptance of other people's viewpoints); 让学习经历变得更有趣、更给学生以学习的动力(make the learning experience more stimulating and motivating)。
单独学习的好处则是: 能够减少干扰(reduce distractions),学生可以更专心地学习(the student can concentrate on his or her studies); 相应的学习效率也可能更高些(makes the learning process more efficient)。
变形题和同类型真题
(a) Team activities can teach children more life skills than activities that are done alone.To what extent do you agree or disagree? 集体活动可以比个人活动教给孩子更多的生活技能。多大程度上你同意或者不同意?
思路指导
在从事集体活动时孩子们需要与同龄人进行相互沟通与交流(communicate and interact with their peers),建立共同的目标并且一致努力(establish common goals and coordinate their efforts)。这可以培养他们的沟通能力与团队合作能力(develop their communication skills and teamwork skills),克制愤怒的能力(anger management skills)和协调冲突的能力(conflict resolution skills)等重要的社会和情感技能(essential social and emotional skills),并且让他们懂得尊重别人和容忍差异的重要性(help children to understand the importance of respect for others and tolerance of differences)。
(b) Some people think that schools should select students according to their academic abilities , while others believe that students with different abilities should be educated together. Discuss both these views and give your own opinion. 一些人认为,学校应根据学生的学术能力来选拔学生。其他人认为,应把不同能力的学生放在一起进行教学。讨论这两种观点并给出你的意见。
思路指导
把学生按照学术能力分开的做法(它在英美中小学里有多种叫法,例如streaming /tracking /grouping students by ability等都可以)的好处是: 让学生按照适合自己能力程度的进度来学习(allow students to study at a pace that matches their own abilities); 减少来自于同班同学的同辈压力(can reduce negative peer pressure because students in the same class have similar academic abilities)。
把学生按能力分班的负面影响则可能是: 程度较低班级里的学生可能会缺乏自信,或者对学习丧失兴趣(Students in low-level classes may lack confidence or lose interests in their studies.); 更有经验、更称职的老师很可能会被分配到程度高的班级去,从而导致受教育机会不平等(More experienced and qualified teachers are likely to be assigned to high-level classes,which may result in inequalities in learning opportunities.)。
结论是混合上课可以帮助不同程度的学生发挥自己的潜力(Mixed-ability classes help a wide range of students to achieve their potential.)。另一方面,教师应该鼓励成绩好的学生学习更有挑战性的选修课(Academically-stronger students should be encouraged to take more challenging elective courses.)。
10 Participation in sports should not be encouraged at school because it leads to competition rather than cooperation. To what extent do you agree or disagree?
在学校参加体育运动不应被鼓励,因为它导致竞争而不是合作。多大程度上你同意或不同意?
思路指导
在运动中获胜的强烈愿望确实有可能在学生们之间产生激烈的竞争与紧张关系(The desire to win in sports may cause stiff competition and tension among students.)。
但另一方面, 组织良好的体育运动可以带来健康、良性的竞争(Well-organised sports activities can encourage healthy and constructive competition among students)。而且 集体运动也正是基于队友们之间的信任与协作(Team sports are based on the trust and cooperation among team members.)。事实上,让学生参加体育运动是培养公平竞争精神和团队精神的重要方法之一(Active participation in sports not only fosters strong minds and bodies,but also builds a fair play attitude and team spirit.)。
因此,问题的关键在于体育活动的组织者们是否能够更强调团队合作,并且更重视学生们付出的努力,而不是体育竞争的结果(The key is whether school sport organisers emphasise young participants' effort and teamwork over the outcome of competition.)。
同类型真题
(a) Competitiveness is a positive quality for people to have in most societies. How does competitiveness affect individuals? What problems may it cause? 竞争性在很多社会里是人们应该拥有的积极的素质。竞争性怎样影响个人?它可能带来哪些问题?
思路指导
竞争性 可以让个人去积极努力并争取更高的目标(motivate individuals to strive for higher goals); 可以促进创造、创新与高效率(foster greater creativity,innovation and efficiency)。
但它可能带来的负面影响则是: 导致个人忽视共同目标(cause individuals to ignore their common goals); 减少对于一些美德例如公平竞争和诚实的重视(may make individuals neglect some important human virtues such as fair play and honesty)。
(b) How important is ambition to people who want to achieve success? Is ambition a positive or a negative characteristic? 志向对于希望获得成功的人们有多重要?有志向是积极还是消极的特点?
思路指导
除了上一题里的思路都可以用之外,志向的积极作用还包括: 让人生活、工作得更有热情、目标与奉献感(live and work with more enthusiasm,purpose and dedication), 让人更具有自尊(help people to develop strong self-esteem),而且 有志向的人也更有可能充分地发挥个人潜力(Ambitious people are more likely to achieve their full potential.)。
而负面影响则除了上题里的思路之外,还可以有: 有可能让人变得贪婪、无情(make a person greedy and ruthless); 让一些人难以和亲友、同事保持良好的关系(Some ambitious people may find it hard to maintain positive relationships with their family,friends and coworkers.)。
11 It is generally believed that education is of vital importance to individual development and well-being of society. What should education consist of to fulfill both these functions?
人们普遍认为教育对个人发展与社会的良好运行都起着至关重要的作用。教育应由哪些内容组成以便实现这两种功能呢?
关键词透析
◆ be of vital importance 是英语中常见的特殊句式(请注意这里的 of 是不能省略的), 表示它前面的主语具有某种属性 。类似句式还有 be of high historical value,be of great significance , be of interest to sb.,be of little or no use 等等。
◆ consist of 是动词短语,指 由…… 组成 ,要注意它 不能 使用被动形式。它的近义词组有 be composed of/be made up of 等。
◆ 请注意 individual 这个词有两种词性,当名词时指 个人 ,而当形容词时,比如在本题中它意为 个人的 。
思路指导
这道题的话题宏大,很容易沦落成假大空的“史诗型”作文,因此对话题进行细化“贼”重要。
紧密围绕题目里给出的两方面,可以在第一个主体段里论述为实现个人发展(individual development)教育应该包含的内容: 向学生提供获得职业成功所需的知识与技能的课程(courses that help students to gain the knowledge and skills needed to succeed in their careers); 增强学生的分析能力与批判思维(improve students' analytical skills and critical thinking abilities); 帮助学生提高艺术才能与审美水平(develop artistic skills and aesthetic appreciation)等等。
在第二个主体段里论述为了促进社会的良好运行(the well-being of society),教育应该: 有助于为未来储备有竞争力的劳动力(help to prepare a competitive workforce for the future); 培养有社会责任感的公民(produce socially responsible citizens); 向年轻一代传递该社会的文化遗产与价值观(help society to transmit its cultural heritage and social values to the younger generation)。
本题如果想在主体段里举出科目的具体实例,下面这些课程是英语国家考官们更熟悉的(咱就别在IELTS essays里写思想品德课了):可以帮助学生学习与科学技术相关知识的computer studies,physics,chemistry,以及很多英语国家学校开设的technological education等课程;可以培养学生分析能力的 代数 (algebra), 微积分 (calculus), 几何学 (geometry)与 分析写作 (analytical writing)等课程;能够提高学生环境意识(raise students' environmental awareness)的biology 生物课 和geography 地理课 ;在英语国家中学里专门 讲解公民的权利和责任 的civics and citizenship education; 与就业直接相关 的career education和business studies;帮学生了解基本的经济学术语、概念和一些个人与国家经济问题(help students to understand basic economic terms,concepts as well as some personal and national economic issues)的economics 经济学 ;让学生了解文化、艺术知识的literature 文学 ,history,music,painting和英语国家里的学生们超级喜欢的drama 戏剧 ,creative writing 创意写作 等;以及帮助学生提高健康意识、形成健康生活方式(raise students' health awareness and help them to adopt healthy lifestyles)的health education和P. E.(physical education)等课程。
同类型真题
Schools offer a wide range of subjects today. In your opinion , which subject is the most important to young people and which one is the least important?
学校提供广泛的科目。你认为哪一项科目最重要?哪一项科目最不重要?(文学、体育、数学、经济学、物理、历史、音乐、地理)
思路指导
对这道题目每个人都会有不同的选择,只要言之成理即可。
最重要的科目可以选择你认为好处最多的来论述,但对于“最不重要的科目”,却并不需要强调某一门课“没用”(因为事实上学这些科目肯定都有好处)。可以从: 有可能带来的就业机会(the job opportunities that the subject may lead to), 学习的难度(the level of difficulty)和 是否多数学生都对它有兴趣(whether the majority of students are interested in it)等方面来讨论就很有说服力了。
C 教育与就业
12 Some people think that universities should provide graduates with the knowledge and skills needed in the workplace. Others think that the true function of a university should be to give access to theoretical knowledge for its own sake , regardless of whether the course is useful to an employer. What , in your opinion , should be the main function of a university?
一些人认为大学应该为毕业生提供工作中所需要的知识和技能。另一些人则认为大学的主要功能是让学生获得理论知识,而不必考虑课程所教内容是否是雇主所需要的。你认为大学的主要功能应该是什么?
这是一道在亚太区与欧洲区屡次出现的考题。本题具体写法请看今天的第25篇范文。
关键词透析
◆ acquire 是雅思写作的必备动词: 获取(知识或技能) 的意思。请注意国内同学们爱写的 learn knowledge 其实是错误的中式英语,在地道英文里 learn 和 knowledge 这两个单词是绝不可以搭配的,应改为 acquire knowledge (或者 gain knowledge )。
变形题和同类型真题
(a) Universities should not provide theory for its own sake , but give practical training to students. To what extent do you agree or disagree? 大学不应该只为了教理论而教理论,而应该向学生提供实用的培训。多大程度上你同意或者不同意?
(b) Schools should teach children the academic subjects which will be beneficial to their future career while other subjects such as music and sports are not important. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this opinion? 学校应该教育学生学习对未来职业发展有用的学科,而其他诸如音乐和体育这些学科则不重要。多大程度上你同意或者不同意这种观点?
(c) Today , more and more university students choose to study practical subjects , such as marketing and computer programming , rather than theoretical subjects , such as economics , mathematics and chemistry. What are the advantages and disadvantages of this trend? 当今,越来越多的大学生选择学习实用科目比如市场营销与计算机编程,而不选择经济学、数学和化学等理论科目。这种趋势的利与弊是什么?
13 Some people think that students should attend university to further their education. Others , however , think that students should go to university to learn skills such as fixing cars or construction. Discuss both these views and give your own opinion.
一些人认为学生上大学应该是为了寻求更高层次的教育。另一些人则认为,学生上大学的目的应该是学习修车或者建造房子等技能。请讨论这两种观点并给出你的意见。
关键词透析
◆ fix 在这里不是固定,而是 修理 的意思,与 repair 接近。 construction 是名词: 建造 的意思,它的及物动词形式是 construct 。
◆ 本题中又出现了 such as ,因此需要注意论证时虽然也可以适当讨论一些其他的技能(如gardening园艺,knitting编织,welding 焊接,carpentry 木工等),但仍注意不要过远地偏离 such as 后面所列举的情况。
◆ 汽车修理师 的英文叫做 mechanic (请注意它是名词,与形容词 mechanical 机械的 拼写和含义都不同), 建筑工人 则是 construction worker 。国内同学们普遍很熟悉blue-collar jobs(蓝领工作)和white-collar jobs(白领工作)这样的说法。不过在地道英文里对于经常涉及体力操作的工作还有个很棒的说法叫 manual jobs ,办公室工作则经常被统称为 office jobs 。
◆ 在英国 职业技术教育 叫做 vocational education and training ,特别需要注意英语中获得 职业技术教育的学生们在毕业时获得的证书通常是certificate 或者diploma 而不是 degree 。
思路指导
前者的教学重点是学术课程(academic subjects),目的是讲授理论知识和发展学生的研究能力(teach theoretical knowledge and develop students' research skills)。
而职业技术教育的教学重点则是非学术课程(non-academic subjects)。它的目标是帮助学生准备就业(The purpose of vocational education and training is to provide students with practical skills which prepare them for employment.)。课程的重点是发展学生完成特定工作任务的技能(A vocational curriculum focuses on developing students' abilities to perform specific job tasks.),并且为学生们提供更多的实践训练(provides students with more hands-on training)。
因此,职业技术教育应该主要由社区学院(community colleges)或者职业技术学校(vocational schools)来提供。这样才能让大学继续保持很高的学术与研究标准(can help universities to maintain high academic and research standards),也才能让中学阶段后的教育机构更好地满足未来经济增长对于劳动力的需求(help post-secondary institutions to better meet the labour demands of future economic growth)。
同类型真题
Some people think that studying in university is the best way for students to prepare for their future careers. Others , however , think that students should leave school as early as possible and develop their careers through work experience. Discuss both these views and give your own opinion. 一些人认为上大学是学生为今后的事业做准备的最好方法。另一些人则认为学生应该尽早离开学校,通过工作经验来发展自己的事业。讨论两种观点并且给出你自己的观点。
思路指导
大学可以为学生们提供: ❶ 今后发展事业所需要的知识基础(provide a solid knowledge base for their future careers)与研究技能(research skills), ❷ 帮助学生们发展分析能力(analytical abilities)和辩证思维能力(critical thinking abilities)。
而工作则可以: 提供应用理论知识和专业技能的实践机会(provide people with opportunities to apply and practise their theoretical knowledge and technical skills); 增加人们对于自己的职业竞争力的信心(help people to gain confidence in their professional competence); 提高沟通能力与团队合作能力等社会技能(improve their social skills such as communication skills and teamwork skills); 磨练人们管理时间的技能和同时处理多项任务的能力(hone people's time-management skills and multitasking skills,其中multitasking skills是最近几年来开始在英美企业文化里备受重视的技能,尽管大学里的学习对学生的time-management skills和multitasking skills也会有提高,但是在工作中人们管理时间和同时处理多项任务的能力提高得通常都会更加显著)。
因此,上大学可以帮助学生们学习理论知识并且提高分析能力,帮助他们为未来的事业做准备。同时,应该鼓励大学生从事兼职工作以获取工作经验。
14 The unemployment rate is very high in many countries. Some people think that in these countries , most students only need to receive primary education. Secondary education should not be offered to those who have little hope of finding a job. To what extent do you agree or disagree?
很多国家的失业率很高。一些人认为在这些国家,绝大多数学生只需要接受小学教育就可以了。中学教育对于很少有机会找到工作的人是不必要的。你在何种程度上同意或不同意这个观点?
关键词透析
◆ primary education 是 小学教育 , secondary education 是指 中学教育 ,而 tertiary education / post-secondary education 则是指 中学后教育 ,在英美包括大学教育和高中毕业后参加的职业教育。
思路指导
前面说过作文题中只要出现绝对词一般就可以举反例,这道题也不例外(only)。比如可以先承认:
小学毕业就离开学校的学生也许能够比同龄人获得更多的工作经验(may be able to gain more work experience than their peers); 他们能够很早就在经济上独立于家长(They can become financially independent from their parents at a young age.)。
但接下来就可以写如果不为多数学生提供中学教育,这些人将很有可能: 工作机会比受到过更好教育的同龄人更少,而且工资也会较低(They tend to have fewer job opportunities than their better-educated peers and are likely to earn less.); 他们比接受过更好教育的同龄人知识量少,这也会让他们缺乏自尊心和自信心(They tend to suffer from low self-esteem and low self-confidence because they lack much of the knowledge that their better-educated peers possess.); 很难确定到底哪些学生今后将会难以找到工作(It is hard to determine who will be able to find a job and who will not.)。
结论是可以鼓励中学生们做兼职工作(part-time jobs),但是为他们提供接受中学教育的机会仍然是很重要的。
同类型真题
(a) Everybody should stay in school until 18 . To what extent do you agree or disagree?每个人都应该在学校里学习到 18 岁 。 多大程度上你同意或者不同意 ?
(b) In many countries , a large number of young people are leaving school but are unable to find jobs. What problems do you think youth unemployment causes for individuals and society as a whole? What measures should be taken to solve these problems? 在很多国家,大量年轻人毕业却无法找到工作。你认为年轻人失业对个人和社会带来哪些问题?这些问题应该用怎样的措施来解决?
思路指导
“毕业即失业”的现象对于个人带来的问题有: 让年轻人产生压力、焦虑甚至抑郁(cause stress,anxiety or even depression in young people); 导致反社会行为或者青少年犯罪(may lead to anti-social behaviour or youth crime); 给他们的家长带来沉重的经济负担(place a heavy financial burden on their parents)。
给全社会带来的问题则是: 整体失业率上升(cause the overall unemployment rate to rise); 增加贫困与社会不安定(increase poverty and social instability)。
对这种现象的解决方法是: 学校应该努力教给学生们针对就业的技能和与就业相关的社会技能(provide students with courses that focus on job-specific skills and occupational social skills),以及 政府促进发展经济,创造就业机会(stimulate economic growth and create jobs)。
(c) Some people believe that a country benefits greatly when a high percentage of young people go to university , while others argue that leads to graduate unemployment. Discuss both these views and give your own opinion. 一些人认为当很高比例的年轻人去上大学时国家可以显著受益。另一些人则认为那会导致年轻人失业。讨论两种观点并给出你自己的观点。
思路指导
大学致力于为学生提供在日益以知识为主导的经济中确保竞争力所需的知识和技能(Universities aim to equip students with the knowledge and skills necessary to be competitive in an increasingly knowledge-based economy.)。因此,从整体来看,更多的年轻人上大学可以提高劳动力的生产率和竞争力(improve labour force productivity and competitiveness),推动以知识为基础的经济发展(contribute to the growth of the knowledge-based economy)。
另一方面,如果上大学的年轻人过多,确实有可能导致申请高端专业职位或者管理职位的申请者(applicants for professional,managerial or administrative positions)人数过多,从而导致大学毕业生的失业率上升(leads to a higher graduate unemployment rate)。同时也可能导致从事体力工作的工人(workers who perform manual labor)数量过少,从而阻碍经济的发展(hinder economic growth)。
因此,政府应该为年轻人提供多种受教育的机会(provide young people with a wide range of educational and training opportunities),而不仅是发展大学教育。
15 In some countries young people are encouraged to work or travel for a year between finishing high school and starting university studies. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages for young people to do this.
一些国家鼓励年轻人在中学毕业后出去工作或者旅游一年,然后再去上大学。请讨论这种做法的利弊。
您可以在剑5 p. 165看到本题的真实考官范文,同时请思考:考官范文的用词风格是“充斥着大词”还是力求平实、准确?
16 It is right that university graduates should earn higher salaries than their less well-educated peers. To what extent do you agree or disagree?
大学毕业生确实应该比那些受教育程度较低的同龄人获得更高的薪水。你在何种程度上同意或者不同意这种观点?
思路指导
其实在英美清洁女工(cleaning ladies)不见得就比office ladies拿钱少,只不过上班时穿的差点而已,下班之后谁更爽还真不好说。
但是写作文要求有理有据。支持大学毕业生工资更高的理由可以是: 知识经济的发展主要依靠知识和有创新性的想法而不是体力(The development of the knowledge-based economy relies primarily on the use of knowledge and innovative ideas rather than physical abilities.); 大学毕业生的学习能力更强,更容易适应不断变化的工作要求(University graduates are better at learning on their own and therefore better at keeping their knowledge and skills up to date.); 在教育上进行的投资理应获得回报(Their educational investment should be rewarded with higher salaries.)。
论证反方看法则可以从以下两点展开: 实际的工作经验可以提高人们在工作环境中运用知识和技能的能力(Work experience improves people's ability to apply their knowledge and skills in a workplace environment.); 社会技能,比如沟通、合作以及协调冲突的能力对于工作表现与职业成就同样很重要(Social skills,such as communication,cooperation and conflict-resolution skills,are also essential to job performance and professional achievements.)。
因此,academic qualifications并不应该是影响收入水平的唯一因素,工作经验与社会技能对于一个人的工作表现同样很重要。
同类型真题
Some employers think that academic qualifications are more important than life experience and personal qualities when they look for an employee. Why is it the case? Is it a positive or negative development? 一些雇主在寻找员工时认为学术资格证书比人生经历和个人素质更加重要。为什么会这样?这是一种积极的还是消极的发展?
D 学习科目的选择
17 Some people believe that students should take a wide range of courses. However , others believe that students should focus on the subject that they are good at or they are interested in. Discuss both these views and give your own opinion.
一些人认为学生应广泛地学习各种不同的课程。可是其他人则认为学生应集中学习他们擅长或者感兴趣的课程。请讨论这两种观点并给出你的意见。
关键词透析
◆ a wide range of 的意思是 广泛的 ,近义词组有 a wide array of 和 a wide variety of 等。
◆ focus on 是 全力集中于某事上 的意思,它在写作和口语考试里的近义词组都是 concentrate on 。
◆ 在英美学校中 必修课 被称为 required courses (这个词组在书面和谈话中都很常用)或者 compulsory/mandatory courses (这两个词组在生活谈话里用得则比较少)。而 选修课 则被称为 electives 或者 optional courses 。学科 有趣味性,给人以动力的 除了写interesting之外, stimulating 和 motivating 也是加分的选择。
思路指导
集中精力学习自己感兴趣或者擅长的科目的好处在于: 提高学习知识与技能的效率(Concentrating on certain subjects allows students to gain specialised knowledge and skills more efficiently.); 对少数科目的掌握更牢固(Focusing on specific subjects enables them to develop a more solid grasp of these subjects.)。
广泛学习各种科目的好处则有: 开阔学生们的学识和思维视野(Studying a wide range of subjects gives students the opportunity to expand their knowledge base and broaden their skills.); 对多学科的深入了解能让学生们在毕业后更容易找到工作(A sound under-standing of a wide variety of subjects helps students find jobs more easily after graduation.); 学习音乐与绘画等科目可以加深学生们对文化与艺术的理解(Studying subjects such as music and painting deepens students' understanding of the culture and the arts.)等等。因此,学校应该在规定学生们学习必修课程的同时,鼓励学生们选修自己喜欢的课程。
18 In many countries , school subjects and course contents are decided by the authorities such as the government. Some people think that students should decide these for themselves. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this opinion?
在很多国家,学校里的科目和课程内容是由像政府这样的行政当局决定的。一些人认为学生应自己来决定这些内容。你在何种程度上同意或者不同意这种观点?
对本题的深入分析请看今天的第8篇范文。
同类型真题
In some countries , school subjects and course contents are decided by the authorities such as the government. Some people think that teachers should make the choices. To what extent do you agree or disagree? 在一些国家,学校的教学科目与课程内容是由像政府这样的行政当局决定的。一些人认为应该由教师来进行选择。你多大程度上同意或者不同意?
思路指导
政府来确定的优势同上题,而教师决定科目和授课内容的优势则是: 更加了解学生们的学习需求与困难(have a better understanding of their students' learning needs and diffi-culties); 更熟悉教学过程和方法(are more familiar with the teaching process and methods)。
19 Some students find subjects such as mathematics and philosophy too hard to learn. They think that these subjects should be optional rather than compulsory. To what extent do you agree or disagree?
一些学生感到有些课程,比如数学与哲学,过于难学。他们认为这些课程应被设为选修课而不是必修课。多大程度上你同意或不同意?
关键词透析
◆ optional 是 可选择的 ,它的名词形式 option 在写作和口语中经常被用来代替choice,在地道英文里还有一个名词 elective courses ,也是 选修课 的意思。
◆ compulsory 是指 强制性的 ,英美学校里的 必修课 也常被称为 required courses 或 mandatory courses 。
◆ 在英美学校里 对于课程的选择 叫 course selection ,如果 放弃一门课 则是 drop a course , 看起来有点口语化 , 但在多数大学的选课单上也是赫然写着add/drop a course 。
思路指导
多数学生确实可能会更加偏爱简单或者难度适中的课程(The majority of the students tend to prefer courses that are easy or moderate and avoid the difficult ones.),但是在决定一门课程应该是选修课还是必修课的时候,学校需要考虑的因素(considerations)除了该课程的难度与学生们的学业兴趣(the difficulty level of the course and students' academic interests),还应该考虑: 该课程对学生们的思维能力发展的作用(the role of the course in students' intellectual development); 社会对于该课程所传授的技能的就业需求(the hiring demand for the skill set that the course teaches),以及 学校的自身定位(the school's vision and mission)。
20 Some people think that students should study international news as a subject. Do you agree or disagree?
一些人认为学生应将国际新闻作为一门科目进行学习。你是否同意?
思路指导
本题里肯定没生词。中学生们生活在一个日益全球化的世界里(they live in an increasingly globalised world)。学习国际新闻可以: 为学生们提供对于国际事务和时事的广泛了解(can provide students with a broad understanding of international affairs and current events),增加学生们关于别国和其他文化的知识(expand their knowledge of other countries and cultures),开阔他们的思维(broaden their minds); 提高学生的分析能力与辩证思维(develop students' analytical skills and critical thinking abilities); 让学生们更加关心时事(foster the habit of keeping up with current affairs among students)。
如果打算讨论反方则可以写一些虚假或者不全面的国际新闻报道有可能会误导学生(Some international news reports contain false or incomplete information and thus may be misleading to students.),这对他们今后的学习和事业都会有益。
21 Some people believe that unpaid community service should be a compulsory part of high school programmes ( for example working for a charity , improving the neighbour-hood or teaching sports to younger children ) . To what extent do you agree or disagree?
一些人认为无偿社区服务应该成为高中课程里的一个必选部分(例如为慈善机构工作,改善社区、教较小的孩子运动等)。在多大程度上你同意或者不同意?
关键词透析
◆ unpaid community service 是指无偿的社区服务, a compulsory part of 在本题里是指按 照规定必修的部分
本文的具体写法请看今天的第22篇范文。
22 Secondary school students should be taught how to manage money because it is an important life skill. Do you agree or disagree?
中学生应该被教育如何理财,因为它是重要的生活技能。你是否同意?
思路指导
在英美,有越来越多的中学开设了个人财务课程(personal finance courses/financial literacy courses)。
中学生的常用理财技能(money-management skills)包括熟悉自己日常花费的去向(keep track of their spending),了解自己在哪些方面可以减少开支(know where they can reduce spending),懂得及早开始为长期目标进行储蓄的重要性(understand the importance of starting to save early for long-term goals),做好日常开支的预算(create a sensible daily budget),合理使用打工所挣到的钱(use their incomes from part-time jobs properly),了解常见的财务管理工具(common money-management tools),以至于操作个人财务管理软件(operate personal money-management software)等等。
这类课程可以帮中学生们建立对财务的责任感(build a sense of financial responsibility),避免过度开支(teach them to stay financially organised and budget wisely),而且能发展中学生的独立性(develop a healthy sense of independence among secondary-school students)。而且通过这类课程学到的知识在他们成年之后也仍然有助于他们做出正确的财务决定(make good financial decisions)和保持良好的个人财务状况(keep their finances on solid ground)。因此,这类课程对中学生现在和将来的生活都非常重要。
另一方面,应该注意避免的(其实这一点目前在英美社会做得并不好)是不要让中学生认为完成所有责任都应该得到金钱的回报(not all responsibilities should be rewarded with money)。事实上,良好的责任感本身就是一种回报(A strong sense of responsibility is a reward in itself.)。
同类型真题
Some think that giving a weekly allowance to children will help them to avoid many problems when they become adults. Do you agree or disagree? 一些人认为每周给孩子一些零花钱可以帮助他们在成年后避免很多问题。你是否同意?
关键词透析
◆ allowance 在这里并不是允许 ,而是指 零用钱 ,在英式英语里也叫作 pocket money 。
思路指导
除了可以参考上题里给出的ideas之外,Pat还注意到中国家长们与英美家长们关于给孩子零花钱的态度有明显的区别。在英美,零花钱被多数家长认为是帮助孩子理解钱的价值并且教他们管理财务的重要工具(an important tool for helping children to understand the value of money and teaching them how to manage money),能够教孩子们如何为自己想要的物品存钱(can teach them how to save up for items that they want),帮他们学会去理智地消费(teach them to make thoughtful and responsible spending decisions)。而且在英美还有相当多的家长对孩子所做的家务事付钱(give their children an allowance for doing housework),这样能够帮助孩子们懂得工作与报酬之间的关系(help their children to learn the relationship between work and money)。这些ideas也许在一些中国家长看起来是不合理的,但它们确实是符合多数英美成年人的教育观念的(也包括很多考官在内)。
E 教育的道德和社会意义
23 Children's behaviour is often influenced by other children of the same age. This is called “ peer pressure ” . Do the disadvantages of peer pressure outweigh the advantages?
儿童的行为经常受到同龄人的影响。这被称为“同辈压力”。同辈压力的负面影响是否大于正面影响?
思路指导
同辈压力是英美中小学里非常重要的概念,而且在英美社会里它还经常被区分成positive peer pressure和negative peer pressure两种。
positive peer pressure可以: 帮助儿童改掉坏习惯和坏行为(help children to change bad habits and unacceptable behaviour); 让儿童们在学习、文艺、体育等方面努力让自身变得更加优秀(make children strive for academic,artistic and athletic excellence)。
而negative peer pressure则会: 导致缺乏自信心(result in a lack of self-confidence); 让儿童感到被同龄人疏远(make children feel isolated from their peers)。
结论是通过经常与儿童进行开放的、尊重对方的沟通(by communicating with the children openly,respectfully and frequently),鼓励孩子们与同龄人合作(encourage children to cooperate with their peers),并且教给儿童分辨是非的能力(teaching them right from wrong),家长与教师是可以帮助孩子们让同辈压力利大于弊的。
同类型真题
(a) Some people think that today , children live under more pressure than children did in the past. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this opinion? 一些人认为,当今孩子们比过去的孩子们承受着更多的压力。多大程度你同意或者不同意这种观点?
思路指导
这种现象确实存在。具体体现为: 孩子们需要为获得学术、艺术和体育的荣誉与奖项更激烈地竞争(compete more fiercely for academic,artistic and athletic honours and awards); 孩子们受到同辈压力的影响更大(Children today are under more peer pressure.); 家庭之间的收入差距增加(the growing income gap between rich and poor families)也导致贫困家庭的孩子压力更大。
(b) Children are under more educational , social and financial stress. Some people think this is a positive development. To what extent do you agree or disagree? 孩子们承受更大的教育、社会与经济压力。一些人认为这是一种积极的进展。多大程度上你同意或不同意?
F 学习外语与出国
24 More students choose to go to another country for higher education. Do you think that the benefits outweigh the problems associated with it?
更多的学生选择出国接受高等教育。你认为其利是否大于弊?
擦亮眼睛
出国上大学的益处可以从扩展他们的思维视野(broaden their intellectual horizons)、提高他们的文化意识和对于文化差异的敏感度(increase their cultural awareness and sensitivity)、提高外语能力(improve their foreign language skills)、增加就业机会、让人变得更加独立(become more independent)等方面论述,弊端则可以从学费与生活费(tuition fees and living costs)高、适应新的学习环境与另一种生活方式有可能是一种挑战(Adjusting to a new academic environment and a different lifestyle can be challenging.)等角度都不难写。需要提醒国内同学们注意的是只要考题里出现了 outweigh 超过 这个及物动词,就一定要对两方都进行论述,因为只有这样才能从逻辑上真正有效地证明某一方的重要程度“超过”了另一方,否则outweigh也就无从谈起了。
25 Some people believe that children are better at learning a foreign language while others think adults are better at that. Discuss both these views and give your own opinion.
一些人认为儿童更擅长学外语,而另一些人则认为成年人更擅长。讨论两种观点并给出你自己的看法。
思路指导
与成年学习者不同,儿童更多的是依靠模仿而不是依靠分析来学习外语(Unlike adult foreign-language learners,young foreign-language learners depend more on imitation than on analysis.),而且儿童受第一语言的影响较小(Young learners are less influenced by their first language.)。因此: 儿童更容易学会地道的发音(Children are more likely to achieve nearnative pronunciation.); 儿童说外语的流利度通常会更好(Children have a better chance of becoming fluent in a foreign language.)
但成年人学习外语也有自己的优势: 对语法进行分析的能力更强(more skilled at grammatical analysis); 更善于把握规律(are better at recognising patterns); 集中注意力的持续时间也更长(have the ability to concentrate for longer periods of time)。因此,成年人对外语进行语法分析与阅读的能力通常比儿童更好。
同类型真题
Some experts believe that it is better for children to begin learning a foreign language at primary school rather than secondary school. Do the advantages of this outweigh the disadvantages? 一些人认为儿童应该从小学而不是从中学开始学习外语。这样做是否会利大于弊?(《剑9》Test 1真题,对应的范文在《剑9》p. 163)
G 科技发展对教育的影响
26 Some people think that distance learning has more advantages than classroom learning so the traditional classroom will disappear from our lives. To what extent do you agree or disagree?
一些人认为远程学习的好处比在课堂学习的好处更多,因此传统的教室将从我们的生活里消失。你在何种程度上同意或者不同意?
本题具体写法请看Day 2的范文11。
变形题和同类型真题
(a) Some people think that learning on computers and the Internet is more important to children than going to school. However , others believe that schools and teachers are essential if children wish to learn effectively. Discuss both these views and give your own opinion. 一些人认为相比学校来说,利用电脑和互联网学习对孩子们更为重要。但是其他人认为如果孩子想进行高效的学习,学校和教师就是至关重要的。请讨论这两种观点并给出你的意见。
本题是“变脸儿”的结果。
关键词透析
◆ essential 的意思是 至关重要的 ,请注意在写作中essential 的语气比important 更important。地道英文中这三个单词的重要性是依次递增的:
important < essential < crucial
(b) Lectures were used in the past as a good way to teach a large number of students. As new technology is now available for education , some people suggest that there is no justification for lectures. To what extent do you agree or disagree? 公开授课是一种在过去需要面向大量学生时的传统教学方式。如今由于新技术已被应用于教学,一些人建议没有理由再使用公开授课的方式来教学了。你在何种程度上同意或者不同意?一口气换用了这么多大词仍然是在变形。
(c) Some people believe that the method of a teacher teaching many students in a classroom will disappear by the year 2050 . To what extent do you agree or disagree? 一些人认为一名教师在教室里教很多学生的方式在2050年前会消失。你多大程度上同意或者不同意?
(d) Students at schools and universities learn more from lessons with teachers than from others sources ( such as the Internet or television ) . To what extent do you agree or disagree? 相比其他途径(比如网络和电视),在学校或大学的学生们会从教师的课程中学习到更多东西。多大程度上你同意或者不同意?
关键词透析
◆ 本题中出现了 such as 。在剑桥官方评分标准中,对于含有用 for example,for instance,such as,e . g. 等词语列举出了实例的考题 , 虽然也允许考生适当涉及其他实例 ( 比如这道题中也允许涉及 multimedia equipment in libraries 等其他情况 ), 但仍要注意在论证中不能过多地偏离题目里 such as 的后面所给出的情况 。
27 Traditionally , three subjects have been included in education—maths , reading and writing. Some people argue that computer skills should be added so that every child can benefit. To what extent do you agree or agree?
在传统上教育包含三类科目——数学、阅读与写作。一些人认为计算机技能应该被加入以便让每个孩子受益。多大程度上你同意或者不同意?
关键词透析
◆ 本题的思路不难想,但是在实际写作时你会发现下面这些较为专门的词汇和词组很有用:(1) computer literacy (对于基本计算机技能的了解,对比: computer proficiency 对于计算机技能的熟练掌握,相关句型: become proficient in computer skills 熟练地掌握计算机技能),(2) basic knowledge about computer operations (关于计算机操作的基础知识),(3) operating system (操作系统),(4) application software (应用程序),(5) word documents (word文档,相关: word processor 文字处理程序, spread-sheet software 制表软件),(6) PDF files (PDF文件),(7) graphics software/im-age editing software (图形处理软件,例如 Adobe Photoshop ),(8) browser (名词,浏览器,相关: search engine 搜索引擎),(9) write forum posts (写论坛的帖子),(10) typing speed (打字速度),(11) touch typing skills (盲打技能),(12) be es-sential to many daily activities (对于很多日常活动至关重要),(13) have access to a wealth of information (获取丰富的信息),(14) programming languages (编程语言,相关: computer programming 电脑编程),(15) computer viruses (计算机病毒)(16) Trojan horse (木马程序),(17) media players (媒体播放器),(18) entertain-ing (形容词,富于娱乐性的),(19) the IT industry (信息技术产业),(20) mathe-matical skills (数学技能),(21) calculator (名词,计算器,计算机和手机等设备所含有的计算器也叫作calculator),(22) multiplication table (乘法表,相关: addition 加法, subtraction 减法, division 除法, calculation 泛指各类计算),(23) spelling skills (拼写能力),(24) spelling error / misspelling (拼写错误),(25) accuracy (名词,准确度),(26) spell checker (查拼写错误的软件),(27) Internet slang (网络上的特有语言,相关: flout language conventions 违反语言的传统规范),(28) be integrated into the curriculum (被纳入教学内容里),(29) core skills (核心技能)等等。
思路指导
本题可以一方面论述computer skills对今后就业与社会生活的重要性,再论述如果在课堂上用过多的时间提高学生的计算机技能则有可能对传统的数学、阅读和写作等技能造成一些负面影响。最后做出结论:对于计算机技能的教学应该被加入学校课程中,但同时应该保持对四类能力教学的合理平衡,以确保学生的数学、阅读和写作能力不会因此受到负面的影响。词汇请参考关键词透析部分。
H 家庭、学校、社区和政府在教育过程中的相互关系
28 Childcare is an important task for nations. It is suggested that all mothers and fathers should be required to take parent training courses. To what extent do you agree or disagree?
育儿问题是各国的重要任务。有人建议所有家长都需要接受关于子女教育的培训课程。你在何种程度上赞同或者不赞同?
思路指导
又看到了绝对词 all ,本题就可以先承认父母们参加parent training courses /parenting classes会有好处,比如,家长可以学到关于儿童的: 身体与智力发育(physical and mental growth)和 心理发展(psychological development)以及 社会角色(social roles)等方面的知识,这可以帮助他们充分地理解孩子的情感与行为(help parents to fully understand their children's feelings and behaviour),并且更好地满足孩子的需求(help them to better meet their children's needs)。
接下来,可以通过举反例指出所有家长都必须参加太绝对了,比如有可能: 一些父母的工作实在太忙没有精力上培训课(Some parents work long hours and lack the time and energy for parent training courses.); 有些父母的工作和生活地点距离上课地点太远,来听课很不方便;以及 有些育儿培训项目的主要目的是为某些公司推销产品或服务(The main purpose of some parent training programmes is to promote products or services for certain companies.)等反例来有力地证明parent training courses应该是允许父母们有选择地参加的(should be optional),而不应该要求all parents都必须参加(should not be mandatory)。
29 Some people think that students should go to boarding schools instead of living at home. Do you agree or disagree?
一些人认为学生应上寄宿学校而不是住在家里。你是否同意?
关键词透析
◆ boarding school 是 寄宿学校 。
◆ instead of 意思与 rather than 接近,也是议论文写作中的常用短语,表示 取 前面一种情况而 舍 后面一种情况的 取舍关系 。
思路指导
寄宿学校和在家住各自的利弊其实只要用生活常理来想就可以了,比如: 寄宿的学习干扰少,学生们的精力会更集中一些(With fewer distractions,students of boarding schools can concentrate on their studies and are more likely to achieve their academic potential.); 寄宿学校的学生会更积极地参加学校组织的课外活动(Students of boarding schools tend to participate in more extracurricular activities.); 寄宿学校的学生们与同龄人的交往机会更多,社会适应能力也更强(Boarding schools provide students with more opportunities to socialise with their peers and help them to become socially well-adjusted individuals.)。
而学生在家住则: 孩子与父母沟通的机会更多(have more opportunities to bond with their parents); 孩子的身体也更健康,至少可以比在 学校食堂 cafeteria /canteen吃得好…… (more nutritious meals)。
同类型真题
(a) Sending children to boarding schools is becoming increasingly popular. What are the causes of this trend? Do you think it is a positive or negative trend? 把孩子送到寄宿学校变得越来越流行。这种趋势的原因是什么?你认为这是一种积极还是消极的趋势?
(b) Some people think that students should live at home. Others think that they should live on campus. Discuss both these views and give your own opinion. 一些人认为学生应住在家里,其他人认为学生应住校。请讨论这两种观点并给出你的意见。
30 Some people think that parents should spend time reading or telling stories to their children , while others think that children should read by themselves through a variety of other sources , such as books , TV and the Internet. Discuss both these views and give your own opinion.
一些人认为家长应该花时间为孩子读故事或者讲故事。而另一些人则认为孩子们可以通过其他的来源,比如图书、电视和互联网,自己进行阅读。讨论这两种观点并给出你自己的观点。
思路指导
家长为孩子读故事的好处在于: 发展孩子的早期语言能力(develop their children's early language skills); 为孩子进行独立阅读打好基础(lay the foundation for children's independent reading); 家长对孩子一对一的关注能够加强亲子关系(The one-on-one attention from parents during story-reading strengthens the bond between parents and their children.)。
而孩子自己通过其他来源阅读的好处则是: 发展独立阅读的能力(develop children's independent reading skills); 让孩子接触到更广泛的阅读内容(give children access to a wider variety of reading materials)。
家长为孩子读故事可以满足孩子的早期学习需要(satisfy their children's early childhood learning needs),但孩子4到5岁后家长则应该鼓励他们多进行独立的阅读。
31 Some people think that parents should teach children how to be good members of society. Others , however , believe that school is the place to learn this. Discuss both these views and give your own opinion.
一些人认为家长应该教育孩子如何成为社会中的有用成员。而另外一些人认为学校才是对孩子进行这方面教育的地方。讨论这两种观点并给出你自己的观点。
本题是剑8提供的真题,您可以在剑8第163页上找到本题的范文。这篇范文写得不难,但是“Once a child goes to school, they are entering a wider community where teachers and peers will have just as much influence as their parents do at home.”这句话里有两个语言点让非常多的国内同学感到困惑。Pat在这里为您解答一下:
问题 A 在这句话里,为什么前面使用a child单数形式,而后面却使用复数代词they和复数所有格their呢?这不是明显的语法错误么?
解惑
首先,按照剑桥的语法评分标准,这个考官确实并没有错。事实上,在当代英美生活里,对于表示 泛指 某类人的单数名词 使用复数代词进行指代的做法其实已经开始逐渐被人们所接受,只是同学们读到的多数语法书还没有对这一习惯用法及时“跟进”而已。
在剑桥官方范文里这一惯用法的实例也比比皆是,例如:
A person needs to feel that they are doing valued and valuable work,so positive feedback from superiors is very important in this respect.(《剑7》第167页,用复数代词来指表示泛指的单数名词)
A growing child 's concentration span may suffer if they are surrounded by too many tempting objects.(《剑10》第172页,也是用复数单词来指表示泛指的单数名词)
当然,从国内同学们的英语学习实际来看,也没必要非去赶这种“时髦”。如果您觉得心里实在没底,那么下一次当需要用代词或者所有格形式来指示像a child或者an athlete这样表示泛指的名词的时候,您也可以用he or she或者his or her这样的均衡形式来进行指代,同样绝不会丢分。
问题 B 在这句话里为什么考官还要把孩子教育扯到community社区上面去呢?题目里只要求讨论家庭和学校,再把社区扯进来不是off-topic了么?
解惑
如果community在这里真的是指儿童所在的社区,那么在本文里讨论社区确实是欠妥甚至是应该“一枪轰毙”的。然而,其实community一词在地道英文里还有一种相当常用的意思。请您认真看剑桥官方对community这个词的精确定义:the people living in one particular area or people who are considered as a unit because of their common interests,social group or nationality。这个定义的前半段就是国内考生们更加熟悉的“社区”,接近neighbourhood。而or之后的定义所指的则是“有共同的兴趣和社会属性的一个群体”。类似地,我们也可以写:The progress of science depends on interactions(相互交流)within the scientific community . 这句话里的the scientific community也不是指“科技园区”,而是指从事科学研究的人士这一群体。
变形题和同类型真题
(a) Is children's education chiefly the responsibility of the parents or the teachers? Whatis your opinion about this? 儿童教育主要是家长的责任还是教师的责任?你的观点是什么?
关键词透析
◆ chiefly 是副词: 首要地,主要地 ,近义词还有 mainly , primarily 和 principally 等。
思路指导
本题ideas可以用《十天突破雅思写作》Day 5里的思路提示线索快速搞定:写孩子的教育应该由家长负责的理由可以从 Responsibility,Fun,Money 等方面来写。写教育孩子应该主要由教师负责的方面则可以从 Mind (academic knowledge), Soul (encourage children to cooperate with their peers鼓励孩子与同龄人合作;teach students to compete fairly对孩子公平竞争意识的培养等), Culture (music,painting,history,literature)等角度快速找到思路。
(b) Once children start school , teachers have more influence than parents on their intellectual and social development. To what extent do you agree or disagree? 一旦儿童开始上学,教师对他们的学术与社会能力发展的影响就超过了家长。在何种程度上你同意或者不同意?
32 Young people are important resources for their country. However , the government may ignore some problems faced by young people in running the country. What are these problems and what should the government do to help young people?
青少年是国家的重要资源,但是政府在治理国家时有可能忽视青少年所面对的问题。这些问题是什么?政府应该怎样做来帮助青少年?
关键词透析
◆ 注意本题中的 run 并非跑步,而是 管理、治理 的意思。
思路指导
本题属于 Report分析解释类 考题,可以写两个主体段,在每一个主体段里 分别 写题目里所要求分析解释的该现象的某一方面内容(例如 产生原因、解决办法、应对措施、存在的问题、导致的问题、影响因素 或者 带来的影响 等)。具体来说,本题要求分析解释 存在哪些问题和它们的解决办法 ,可以在两个主体段里分别进行分析解释。
英美考官最熟悉的青少年普遍面对的问题包括校园暴力(school violence/campus violence,例如bullying欺凌,fist-fights打架,甚至school shootings校园枪击案,在英美这个短语比campus shooting更加常用),沉重的同辈压力(intense peer pressure),滥用毒品(drug abuse,名词短语),由不恰当的生活方式所导致的健康问题例如肥胖症和心血管疾病(lifestyle-induced health problems such as obesity and cardiovascular disease),青少年的高失业率(the high youth unemployment rate)等,从中选择几类问题分析解释即可。
相应地,政府可以通过与教育机构(educational institutions)和媒体合作,提高青少年处理社会关系和进行心理调节的能力(enhance their social-emotional skills),促进学生之间积极的沟通(promote positive interactions among students)、提高青少年的健康意识(raise young people's health awareness)、改善经济、创造更多的就业机会(improve the economy and create more jobs),为青少年提供职业与技术培训(provide young people with vocational and technical training),减少社会不公正并且降低犯罪率(reduce social inequality and lower the crime rate)等,从中选择几个与第一个主体段里的问题相对应进行分析即可。
变形题和同类型真题
(a) The best way for society to prepare for the future is to invest more resources in itsyoung people. What is your opinion? 社会为将来做准备的最好方式是在青少年身上投入更多的资源。你的看法如何?
擦亮眼睛
写本题很容易陷入的误区是仅仅谈教育的重要性,但事实上联合国儿童基金会(UNICEF)的motto却是多方面的For every child: Health , Education , Equality , Protection , Advance Humanity 。因此,本题可以从physical and psychological health(身体与心理健康),academic education(学术知识的教育),vocational and technical training(职业技术培训),promote social well-being of young people(促进青少年的良好社会关系),prevention of youth crime and anti-social behaviour(对青少年犯罪和反社会行为的预防),reduce inequalities in educational opportunity(减少受教育机会的不平等)等多方面来选择论述社会帮助对青少年成长投入更多资源的重要性。
(b) Although life has become richer , safer and healthier today , young people feel less happy than in the past. What are the causes of this situation ? What do you think are the solutions to it? 尽管生活变得更加富裕、安全和健康,青少年们却不如过去快乐了。这种情况的原因是什么?你认为解决方法是什么?
思路指导
在不同文化里对young people的年龄范围理解并不完全一致。在英美生活里, young people 通常指处在儿童阶段与成年人阶段之间的青少年们,也就是大约从十二三岁到二十岁出头的这个阶段。按照联合国教科文组织(UNESCO)的国际普遍适用定义, young people 则是指从15到24岁的青少年。
明确了讨论对象之后本题的思路就不难了。生活水平提高但青少年却没有过去快乐的原因可以从: 现代社会里的竞争比过去更激烈,导致学习和找工作的压力增加; 生活节奏更快,而且有很多青少年对电视和电子游戏上瘾,导致他们和家人的沟通减少; 年轻人可以轻易地获取含有暴力内容的电子游戏与书籍(the easy availability of violent video games and books to young people)导致更多的青少年产生暴力倾向(has led to a rise in violent and aggressive tendencies among young people)甚至犯罪。
相应的解决办法可以从: 家长和老师应重视与青少年的沟通,并且鼓励他们在业余时间多参加团体运动(participate in team sports),并经常从事社区服务(community service)等社会活动(social activities),以帮助他们发展社会与情感沟通能力(help them to develop their social and emotional skills); 学校应为青少年提供职业培训(vocational training)和职业指导(career counselling); 家长与政府都应该努力让青少年免受媒体里的暴力与色情内容的影响(protect young people from violent or sexual content in the media)等。